NSK101 Netskope Certified Cloud Security Administrator (NCCSA) Questions and Answers

A limitation of using a legacy proxy compared to Netskope’s solution is that to enforce policies, traffic needs to traverse back through a customer’s on-premises security stack. This creates latency, bandwidth, and scalability issues for remote users and cloud applications. Netskope’s solution, on the other hand, leverages a cloud-native architecture that provides high-performance and scalable inspection of traffic from any location and device. References: [Netskope Architecture Overview]

The inline and API implementation of the Netskope platform are two different ways of connecting cloud applications to Netskope for inspection and policy enforcement. Two fundamental differences between them are: The API implementation can only be used with sanctioned applications, which are applications that are approved and authorized by the organization for business use. The API implementation relies on using out-of-band API connections to access data and events from these applications and apply near real-time policies. The inline implementation can effectively block a transaction in both sanctioned and unsanctioned applications, which are applications that are not approved or authorized by the organization for business use. The inline implementation relies on using in-band proxy or reverse-proxy connections to intercept traffic to and from these applications and apply real-time policies. The API implementation can be used with both sanctioned and unsanctioned applications and the inline implementation can only effectively block a transaction in sanctioned applications are not true statements, as they contradict the actual capabilities and limitations of each implementation method. References: [Netskope SaaS API-enabled Protection], [Netskope Inline CASB].

To enable Netskope to gain visibility into your users’ cloud application activities in an inline mode, you need to use a deployment method that allows Netskope to intercept and inspect the traffic between your users and the cloud applications in real time. Two deployment methods that would match your inline use case are: use a forward proxy and use a reverse proxy. A forward proxy is a deployment method that allows Netskope to act as a proxy server for your users’ outbound traffic to the internet. You can configure your users’ devices or browsers to send their traffic to Netskope’s proxy server, either manually or using PAC files or VPN profiles. A reverse proxy is a deployment method that allows Netskope to act as a proxy server for your users’ inbound traffic from specific cloud applications. You can configure your cloud applications to redirect their traffic to Netskope’s proxy server, either using custom URLs or certificates. Using an API connector or a log parser are not deployment methods that would match your inline use case, as they are more suitable for out-of-band modes that rely on accessing data and events from the cloud applications using APIs or logs, rather than intercepting traffic in real time. References: [Netskope Inline CASB], Netskope Security Cloud Operation & Administration (NSCO&A) - Classroom Course, Module 3: Steering Configuration, Lesson 4: Forward Proxy and Lesson 5: Reverse Proxy.

SaaS API-enabled Protection is a primary function in the Netskope platform that allows customers to connect their sanctioned SaaS applications to Netskope using out-of-band API connections. This enables customers to find sensitive content, enforce near real-time policy controls, and quarantine malware in their SaaS applications without affecting user experience or performance. If you want to use an out-of-band API connection into your sanctioned Microsoft 365 OneDrive for Business application to achieve these goals, you should use SaaS API-enabled Protection as the primary function in the Netskope platform. DLP forensics, Risk Insights, and IaaS API-enabled Protection are not primary functions in the Netskope platform that can be used to connect your application to Netskope. References: [Netskope SaaS API-enabled Protection].

Legacy solutions, such as on-premises firewalls and proxies, fail to secure the data and data access compared to Netskope Secure Web Gateway because they are designed for a perimeter-based security model, where the applications and the users are both within the corporate network. However, with the rise of cloud computing and remote work, this model is no longer valid. The applications where the data resides are no longer in one central location, but distributed across multiple cloud services and regions. The users accessing this data are not in one central place, but working from anywhere, on any device. Legacy solutions cannot provide adequate visibility and control over this dynamic and complex environment, resulting in security gaps and performance issues. Netskope Secure Web Gateway, on the other hand, leverages a cloud-native architecture that provides high-performance and scalable inspection of traffic from any location and device, as well as granular policies and advanced threat and data protection for web and cloud applications. References: Netskope Architecture OverviewNetskope Next Gen SWG

In this scenario, a user is connected to a cloud application through Netskope’s proxy, which is a deployment method that allows Netskope to intercept and inspect the traffic between the user and the cloud application in real time. In this case, Netskope can collect and display various information about the user and the cloud application at Skope IT, which is a feature in the Netskope platform that allows you to view and analyze all the activities performed by users on cloud applications. Some of the information that is available at Skope IT are: username, device location, account instance, URL category, user activity, and cloud app risk rating. Username is the name or identifier of the user who is accessing the cloud application. Device location is the geographical location of the device that the user is using to access the cloud application. Account instance is the specific instance of the cloud application that the user is accessing, such as a personal or enterprise instance. URL category is the classification of the web page that the user is visiting within the cloud application, such as Business or Social Media. User activity is the action that the user is performing on the cloud application, such as Upload or Share. Cloud app risk rating is the score that Netskope assigns to the cloud application based on its security posture and compliance with best practices. Destination IP, OS patch version, file version, and shared folder are not information that is available at Skope IT in this scenario, as they are either unrelated or irrelevant to the proxy connection or the Skope IT feature. References: [Netskope Inline CASB], [Netskope Skope IT].

A tombstone file is a placeholder file that replaces the original file when it is moved to quarantine by a Netskope policy. The tombstone file contains information about the original file, such as its name, size, type, owner, and the reason why it was quarantined. The tombstone file also provides a link to the Netskope UI where the administrator or the file owner can view more details about the incident and take appropriate actions, such as restoring or deleting the file. The purpose of using a tombstone file is to preserve the metadata and location of the original file, as well as to notify the users about the quarantine action and how to access the file if needed. References: Threat Protection - Netskope Knowledge PortalNetskope threat protection - Netskope

When using an out-of-band API connection with your sanctioned cloud service, two capabilities available to the administrator are: to quarantine malware and to find sensitive content. An out-of-band API connection is a method of integrating Netskope with your cloud service provider using the APIs exposed by the cloud service. This allows Netskope to access the data that is already stored in the cloud service and perform retrospective inspection and enforcement of policies. One capability that the administrator can use with an out-of-band API connection is to quarantine malware. This means that Netskope can scan the files in the cloud service for malware, ransomware, phishing, and other threats, and move them to a quarantine folder or delete them if they are found to be malicious. Another capability that the administrator can use with an out-of-band API connection is to find sensitive content. This means that Netskope can scan the files in the cloud service for sensitive data, such as personal information, intellectual property, or regulated data, and apply data loss prevention (DLP) policies to protect them. For example, Netskope can encrypt, redact, or watermark the files that contain sensitive content, or notify the administrator or the file owner about the exposure. References: Netskope API ProtectionReal-time Control and Data Protection via Out-of-Band API

In this scenario, you have deployed the Netskope client in Web mode, which is a feature that allows you to steer your users’ web traffic to Netskope for inspection and policy enforcement. However, some users report that their messenger application is no longer working, even though you have a specific real-time policy that allows this application. Upon further investigation, you discover that the messenger application is using proprietary encryption, which means that Netskope cannot decrypt or inspect the traffic from this application. To resolve this issue, you need to permit access to all the users and maintain some visibility. The configuration change that would accomplish this task is to add a policy in the SSL decryption section to bypass the messenger domain(s). This will allow Netskope to skip the decryption process for the traffic from the messenger application and pass it through without any modification. However, Netskope will still be able to log some basic information about the traffic, such as source, destination, bytes, etc., for visibility purposes. Changing the real-time policy to block the messenger application, creating a new custom cloud application using the custom connector, or editing the steering configuration and adding a steering exception for the messenger application are not configuration changes that would accomplish this task, as they would either prevent access to the application, require additional steps or resources, or reduce visibility. References: [Netskope Client], Netskope Security Cloud Operation & Administration (NSCO&A) - Classroom Course, Module 4: Decryption Policy.

To protect your users from malicious scripts that may be downloaded from websites, you need to use technologies that can detect and prevent malware, ransomware, phishing, and other advanced threats in web traffic. Two technologies that form a part of Netskope’s Threat Protection module, which is a feature in the Netskope platform that provides these capabilities, are sandbox and heuristics. Sandbox is a technology that allows Netskope to analyze suspicious files or URLs in a virtual environment isolated from the rest of the network. It simulates the execution of the files or URLs and observes their behavior and impact on the system. It then generates a verdict based on the analysis and blocks any malicious files or URLs from reaching your users or devices. Heuristics is a technology that allows Netskope to identify unknown or emerging threats based on their characteristics or patterns, rather than relying on predefined signatures or rules. It uses machine learning and artificial intelligence to analyze various attributes of files or URLs, such as file type, size, entropy, metadata, code structure, etc., and assigns a risk score based on the analysis. It then blocks any files or URLs that exceed a certain risk threshold from reaching your users or devices. A log parser or DLP are not technologies that form a part of Netskope’s Threat Protection module, as they are more related to discovering cloud applications or protecting sensitive data. References: [Netskope Threat Protection], Netskope Security Cloud Operation & Administration (NSCO&A) - Classroom Course, Module 9: Threat Protection.

The statement that is true in this scenario is: Certificate-related settings apply to each individual steering configuration level. Certificate-related settings are the options that allow you to configure how Netskope handles SSL/TLS certificates for encrypted web traffic. For example, you can choose whether to allow or block self-signed certificates, expired certificates, revoked certificates, etc. You can also choose whether to enable SSL decryption for specific domains or categories. Certificate-related settings apply to each individual steering configuration level, which means that you can have different settings for different types of traffic or devices. For example, you can have one steering configuration for managed devices and another one for unmanaged devices, and apply different certificate-related settings for each one. This allows you to customize your security policies based on your needs and preferences. References: Netskope SSL DecryptionNetskope Steering Configuration

To provision users to your customer’s Netskope tenant, two methods that you can use are: use the AD Connector and use SCIM. The AD Connector is a tool that allows you to synchronize users and groups from your Active Directory (AD) domain to your Netskope tenant. The AD Connector runs as a Windows service on a machine that has access to your AD domain controller. The AD Connector periodically queries your AD domain for any changes in users and groups and updates them in your Netskope tenant accordingly. The AD Connector also supports filtering users and groups based on attributes or organizational units (OUs). SCIM stands for System for Cross-domain Identity Management, which is a standard protocol for managing user identities across different applications and services. SCIM allows you to provision users and groups from your identity provider (IdP), such as Azure AD or Okta, to your Netskope tenant using APIs. SCIM also supports creating, updating, deleting, and searching users and groups in your Netskope tenant based on your IdP’s configuration. References: Netskope AD ConnectorUser Provisioning with Azure AD

To prevent Man-in-the-Middle (MITM) attacks on an encrypted website or application, one method that you can use is certificate pinning. Certificate pinning is a technique that restricts which certificates are considered valid for a particular website or application, limiting risk. Instead of allowing any trusted certificate to be used, operators "pin" the certificate authority (CA) issuer(s), public keys or even end-entity certificates of their choice. Certificate pinning helps to prevent MITM attacks by validating the server certificates against a hardcoded list of certificates in the website or application. If an attacker tries to intercept or modify the traffic using a fraudulent or compromised certificate, it will be rejected by the website or application as invalid, even if it is signed by a trusted CA. References: Certificate pinning - IBMCertificate and Public Key Pinning | OWASP Foundation

PCI-DSS stands for Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard, which is a set of security requirements for organizations that handle credit card data. It aims to protect cardholder data from unauthorized access, disclosure, or theft, both in transit and at rest. PCI-DSS covers various aspects of security, such as encryption, authentication, firewall, logging, monitoring, and incident response. If you are working with a large retail chain and have concerns about theircustomer data, you should use PCI-DSS as the regulatory compliance standard to govern this data. SOC 3, AES-256, and ISO 27001 are not specific to credit card data protection, although they may have some relevance to general security practices. References: [PCI-DSS], [SOC 3], [AES-256], [ISO 27001].

CASB inline interception use cases are scenarios where you need to apply real-time policies and actions on the traffic between users and cloud applications. For example, you may want to block file uploads to a personal Box account to prevent data leakage or exfiltration. You can use Netskope’s inline proxy mode to intercept and inspect the traffic between users and Box, and apply granular policies based on user identity, device type, app instance, file metadata, etc. You can also use Netskope’s inline proxy mode to provide user alerts when sensitive information is posted in Slack. For example, you may want to warn users when they share credit card numbers or social security numbers in Slack channels or messages. You can use Netskope’s steering client to redirect the traffic between users and Slack to Netskope’s inline proxy for inspection and enforcement. You can also use Netskope’s DLP engine to detect sensitive data patterns and apply actions such as alerting or blocking. References: Netskope Inline Proxy ModeNetskope Steering Client [Netskope DLP Engine]